As a child, Susie Jimenez helped her Mexican parents pick fruit. Working alongside her family in the fields helped plant the seed for Jimenez’s long relationship with food, which culminated in a successful culinary career and most recently in her second place finish on The Next Food Network Star. The 31-year-old California native lost to self-appointed “Sandwich King” Jeff Mauro on the show’s finale this past Sunday, but gained a ton of fans along the way.

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